Canary
by justkeeptyping
Summary: He was glittering with bruises and she could only look on in horror...she had done this "I did this for you, Mara," he insisted, smiling despite the pain. "...why?" she finally spluttered out. One shot! REVIEW! x


**Hey!**

**Enjoy!**

"It's gorgeous," Jerome whispered, moving Mara's hand away slightly so that he could get a better look at the bird she was drawing. They were sat on the grass deep in the forest, the sunlight shining brightly through the branches. Mara smiled, leaning further into him, eyes stuck on the yellow canary. But it flew away, she sighed, disappointed.

"Now I won't be able to finish," she said sadly. Jerome frowned, fiddling with her black hair between her fingers. He clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

"I think it looks great- just as a head," he said softly. Mara smiled, craning her neck to look up at him, and she placed a soft kiss on his lips. He tried to lean down to deepen it, but she turned away, closing her sketch book.

"Maybe we should head back," she stood up, dusting off her jeans. Jerome nodded, following suite, looking up towards the treetops, where his focused blue eyes immediately spotted the yellow canary on the highest branches. He shook his head, dumb bird.

"Yeah, come on," he took her hand and the two of them walked back.

**Line Break**

"Come on, Slimeball," Patricia started, shaking her head in complete shock "This is too far," Jerome shook his head, his arm bleeding badly.

"Shut up, Trixie. Just pass me some bandages," Patricia helped him wrap his arm tightly, and picked him a new shirt from the wardrobe.

"Black, just in case it starts bleeding through,"

"Great," Jerome said through gritted teeth, pulling the bandaged as tight as he could around his arm, so he could stop the blood flow. "And…you can't tell anyone?" Jerome asked, looking up. Patricia looked down at him, red hair framing her face as she held the black shirt. They were in Jerome's room, the door locked.

"Of course not, I don't see the point…but if you want to cut yourself up everyday, do as you please,"

**Line Break**

"Amber…" Jerome pleaded, a large bruise around his left eye "Please…I need your help,"

"I don't want to be part of whatever prank you're pulling, Jerome." Amber sighed through the door. Jerome knocked again, resting his forehead against it.

"Please….Amber…this is your area of expertise…no one else can help me,"

"…no one?"

"No," Jerome shook his head even though she couldn't see, grasping for strings, he could hear temptation in her voice "Please Amber….you're the only one,"

The wooden door opened and Amber stood there, her eyes growing wide "Jerome! What happened to your face!"

Jerome smiled, and then winced in pain "You have to help me cover it up so that Mara doesn't notice, please!"

Amber nodded, opening the door wider. And when Jerome walked out, despite the grimace on his face, there was no trace of the bruise anywhere. And the best part was, only Amber knew he was wearing girl makeup.

**Line Break. **

Mara stared at the sketch in her book. The half finished canary…she was thinking of rubbing it out completely, she didn't like leaving things unfinished, it unnerved her. She turned her pencil upside down, so that the pink rubber faced the page.

"Jaffray," Jerome appeared in the door way, dressed in a red shirt and dark blue jeans. His blond brown hair brushed forward, making his eyes sparkle "Can we go for a walk?" Mara nodded, hoping they would go into the woods again so she could finish the picture if the bird was there. She tucked the sketch book under her arm as Jerome wrapped his arm around her small frame.

They walked for a while, and there were going into the forest. They went to where they did before, but the yellow canary was nowhere to be seen.

"Thanks Jerome," Mara whispered "But it doesn't matter, I think I'll just rub it out,"

"Not yet," Jerome whispered, kissing her forehead. "Follow my lead." He motioned to the giant tree behind them. And he grabbed hold of a low branch and hauled himself up. Mara's mouth dropped open

"Jerome! Are you out of your mind! You'll fall down and kill yourself!"

"Third times the charm," he grinned, winking down at her. Hauling himself higher and higher, "Come on!" Mara copied his exact moves, getting about one quarter of the way up. "Okay, that was the easy part," Jerome called, "Take my hand," Mara did so gladly, the higher they got, the more she wanted to go back down.

But no, higher and higher, as the branches got thinner and thinner, and Mara couldn't make out the ground anymore. Soon they were at the very top of the tree, and Jerome held her hand tightly, using his other hand to push back the leaves…to reveal a large clearing with branches covered with pink cherry blossoms and….yellow canaries. About three hundred of them, everywhere, chirping happily. Mara's eyes popped out of her head

"Jerome…" she whispered in awe, hugging him tightly. Jerome sat them both on a branch while Mara started to draw "How did you find this place?" she asked, as she drew the wings.

"Trial and error?" he offered "Man…it was hard getting up here first time,"

"You seemed to do it with a practised grace," she shook her head, eyes on the birds.

"God Mara," he chuckled quietly "This wasn't my first time, it was my third! I fell twi-" Jerome stopped talking suddenly, as Mara's head snapped round.

"You _fell? Twice?"_ she asked in complete shock. Jerome shook his head, but it was an obvious lie.

"Jerome! What if you'd died?!"

"But I didn't," he tried to smooth her hair back, but she leaned away from him, shaking her head. "Jerome! No, I don't want you risking your life for me! Just because I wanted to draw a bird didn't mean I wanted you to risk your life!" Jerome looked down, Mara let out a sad sigh "Show me the injuries…"

"There aren't any." He lied. Not looking at her.

"Jerome…"

He sighed, lifting his arm, wincing at her gasp of horror at the deep gash, and he leaned his hand up, still looking away from her, into the few wet leaves above. And with his moist fingers, he wiped at his face, the bruise revealing itself slowly.

Mara closed the book, swallowing hard. She touched the bruise gently, and Jerome couldn't help but wince "You shouldn't have…" she whispered

"I wanted to…"

"Jerome," she shook her head, tracing around the gash on his arm "This couldn't have been worth it,"

"Wounds heal Mara," he insisted. A canary fluttered over to them and landed on Jerome's hand. He leaned it forward and it kissed Mara on the nose, she couldn't help but smile, and Jerome placed it on the tree beside him. "Aren't you happy?"

Mara looked around, then down….oh it was going to be a long way down. "I _love _you, Jerome Clarke," she whispered, leaning over to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and kissing him.

Three hundred yellow canaries chirped around them happily.

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